Grandfathers
by Night Foliage
Summary: Based on the Grunkle4Grandpa theory, with a few changes. This the story of how Stanley, Stanford, and Sherman Pines are all Dipper and Mabel's grandfathers.
1. Genuine1

**Genuine1**

 **Part 1 of Grandfathers**

 **Chapter 1**

Not beta-read.

Cross-posted to Ao3.

Author's Ramblings - Well, here I am starting another fanfic (even though I have several others I should finish first). After binge watching Gravity Falls and looking over a lot of ideas on tumblr, I was inspired to write. Here is my version of the Grunkle4Grandpa theory, written after the episode AToTS, but before Dungeonsx3. I hope you guys enjoy it! (By the way, technically I'd like to write this in parts, but due to organization I would rather make this one long story).

* * *

" _Stan, he looks just like you," Carla said softly, tenderly holding the baby._

 _Stan's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I guess he kinda does," he agreed._

-000-

"WHAT!" Mabel yelled, leaping up to her feet.

"Your, your our…" Dipper stuttered.

"Ha! I knew it!" Ford said, triumphantly. "Sherman is too young to be a grandfather."

A flash of lightning lit up the room and a boom of thunder followed. However, the weather did nothing to deter the Pines' from this new revelation. Mabel ran in place, unable to contain herself. Dipper continued to sit on his place on the floor, eyes wide, staring at what he thought was his Grunkle Stan. After the first exclamation, Ford had calmed down and started eyeing his twin with curiosity.

"It's not what you think! Settle down." Stan said.

Mabel did no such thing, and proceeded to her Grunkle's (or Grandfather's?) side. "But Grunkle Stan-"

"No." He interrupted.

"But-"

"Mabel. Dipper." Stan sighed. "This isn't- it's not-" The twins looked at him expectantly. Stan felt his resolve crumble under their stare. And he didn't even want to know how Ford was looking at him. Stanley sighed again. There was no way out of telling this story.

"Fine," he said flatly. "Move the candles over and let me sit down."

The twins hurriedly moved the candles over, so that their Grunkle could sit on the floor next to them. Stan gingerly sat down and propped his back against his arm chair. Much better. If he was going to tell this story, he wasn't going to tell it to them sitting above them. Once he was settled, Mabel gingerly curled up next to him. Dipper scooted close to Mabel and laid on his stomach. The two of them stared up at him innocently.

Stanley involuntarily looked at his brother, Stanford.

His twin was.. not happy, but not angry either. He was curious and his curiosity was overwhelming any other reactions that Ford may have. He would stay quiet and let Stan finish the story.

There was another flash of lightning.

"How did you guys convince me to talk about this again?" Stan grumbled.

"Wellllll," Mabel started. "This mysterious storm started which caused all the electricity to go out, which meant that we couldn't open the Mystery Shack and made it so Great Uncle Ford couldn't work downstairs. Then you called Soos to come fix the Shack, but we don't know if he got the message, so we had to break out the candles. Then _you_ , Grunkle Stan, were talk about how you wished this could have happened during the Woodstick Festival. And I was like, 'why do you hate the Woodstick Festival, Grunkle Stan?' Then _you_ revealed that Carla had a baby that looked like you!" Mabel finished all in one breath. She took a few deep breaths before before continuing, "and now here we are. The four of us all together like a big happy family, and you're about to tell us the story about how you may not be our Grunkle Stan."

"Again," Dipper added.

Stan felt a stab of guilt. He shook it off.

Stan used one hand to pull Dippers cap over his eyes and used the other to mess up Mabel's hair. Dipper swatted at his Grunkle's hand with a smile and Mabel giggled. "Before you go making any accusations, know that I'll always be your ol' Grunkle Stan. Nothing's going to change that," Stanley said with a soft grin. Mabel and Dipper grinned right back.

"But you kids.. you guys deserve to know the truth. So I'm gonna start at the very beginning. And don't interrupt me this time." Stan settled back and let his memories take him elsewhere.

"It started thirty years ago, after I had just lost Ford to the portal…"

-000-

" _The Mystery Shack, or the Murder Hut as it was called back then, was doing well. I was making enough money to keep the place running and I had earned my reputation for being a mysterious and solitary man.'_

 _But at night, I wasn't having any luck with getting the portal running…"_

"WHY WON'T YOU WORK!" Stan bellowed. He messed with the lever again, but nothing changed. He kicked over the tool box in frustration and the tools went flying. It did nothing to temper his anger and he threw his head back to yell at the portal.

Again, nothing changed.

Stan snapped and charged at the portal.

"GIVE ME MY BROTHER BACK YOU FUCKING MACHINE!"

He threw his arm back, then slammed his fist into the portal. Pain blossomed against his knuckles. He didn't care and threw back his other arm to punch the portal. Despite the pain, Stanley kept at it, screaming and punching the portal until his knuckles were red and numb.

He didn't know for how long he was punching the portal. Whether it was from the frustration, the pain, the lack of sleep, or the hunger, Stanley could feel himself flagging. His punches began to gradually slow, but he continued until he was too tired to lift his arms. Panting, he stumbled forward and let his forehead hit the portal with a dull 'thunk.'

Then he slammed his head against the portal.

Stanley felt hot tears start to spill down his cheeks and pretended the liquid was from the blood running down his face. He tried to bring his hands up to wipe his face, when he was hit with vertigo. The world tilted and Stanley was stumbling backwards as his sense of balance shifted. Unfortunately, he tripped over one of the tools lying around. Unable to catch himself in time, Stan's head slammed against the floor and everything went dark.

Stanley Pines might have died that night, alone, bloody, and in the dark, but in this dimension, there was someone with enough power and need for Stanley to stay alive. As soon as Stan's head hit the ground, another being popped into existence to save him.

"Sheesh," Bill said, examining Stan's injured body. The triangular demon poked Stan with his cane. Stan didn't respond. "You Pines' brothers are so alike, so eager to throw away your short lives for things that aren't even worth it."

-000-

"BILL CIPHER! You've met Bill Cipher before!" Dipper cried out. "But- but-"

"How on earth did you come across Bill Cipher?" Stanford interrupted. "I find it hard to believe that Cipher would have come waltzing in to help you with the portal," he said, eyes narrowed.

"What did I say about interruptions!" Stan snapped. "Anyway, Cipher comes in when I'm having trouble with the portal and offers his help. That's what happened, end of story."

"Grunkle Stan…" Mabel said, gently.

"And since when did you kids meet Cipher?" Stan threw back.

Dipper and Mabel traded a guilty look.

"That's what I thought. Anyways, should I continue with the story, or not." Stan said flatly.

"Yes, Grunkle Stan," Mabel and Dipper mumbled softly.

Ford nodded rather stiffly, but gave Stanley a look that said that the conversation would be continued some other time.

"Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, Cipher had just popped out of nowhere…"

-000-

Stanley groaned in pain. He was sore, tired, and it felt like he had just been run over by a truck. He would know. At least nothing felt _too_ broken this time. And what was poking him?

"Wake up, Sunshine!"

His eyes snapped open and he was greeted with Bill Cipher in his face. Screaming he tried to back away, but the pain from his throbbing head stopped him.

"Well, that's no way to treat a pal," the demon said. "Name's Bill Cipher," he offered a hand. "I knew your brother."

Stan stopped trying to get away. "You knew my brother?"

"Well, of course! He summoned me to help him with the place, including this!" Bill threw his arms back, gesturing towards the portal.

"You can, you can work the portal?" Stan said, hope coloring his voice. The floating triangle had thrown him for a loop, but if it could help him get his brother back, then he could deal with it.

"No." Stan's face fell. "My power doesn't work that way, unfortunately-"

"Wait, powers?" Stan interrupted. "Do you have some way to bring my brother back?"

"Wellllll…." Bill turned away, pretending to think about the question. The front of his body flashed, showing images of a child, a woman with flowers in her hair, and a fire. "I could try, I mean. I don't know if I have the power, to do that."

"I'll do anything!" Stan offered, scrambling to his feet.

The yellow on the demon's front returned, and he around. "Great! All I need is full use of your body! Do we have a deal?" Bill's right hand blazed with blue fire and Stan didn't even hesitate to take it.

"Deal."

-000-

" _GRUNKLE STAN~!"_

" _Stanley!"_

" _Shhh- you- stop interrupting and let me finish the story!"_

-000-

At first, Stanley thought nothing was happening.

Then the whole world tilted. Bill Cipher started laughing maniacally in front of him and kept laughing. Stanley couldn't help but scream, as he was met with excruciating pain. However, he kept his eyes open, determined to stay conscious and make sure Bill kept his end of the deal. He hadn't noticed before, but the world was void of color. Now, the gray was bleeding away in front of him, coalescing into one spot.

Then, there was a flash of light and in front of him was..

"A baby?"


	2. Genuine2

**Genuine2**

 **Part 1 of Grandfathers**

 **Chapter 2**

Not beta-read.

* * *

Mabel slapped a hand over her Grunkle's mouth, interrupting the story. The Pines, sans Stanley, had identical expressions of disbelief. Mouths agape, Stanford, Dipper, and Mabel, struggled to find words. To some extent, they were expecting this, but at the same time _this_ was completely unexpected. Stan patiently waited for Mabel to move her hand before speaking.

"Uh… you want me to continue?" Stan asked into the awkward silence.

The three of them nodded.

-000-

 _As I was saying, Bill made a baby appear out of thin air!_

"A BABY!" Stanley exclaimed. Despite his surprise, he held out his arms to grab the infant in front of him. The baby laughed and squirmed, but Stan made sure to keep a firm grip on the child.

"Cipher! What is this?" Looking up at the demon in question, Cipher held one hand under his eye seemingly in contemplation.

"Welp, that didn't work," he said with a shrug.

"Didn't work! Whaddya mean it didn't work? And what's with this baby?"

"Wellll, I guess I don't have the power to bring Stanford back," Bill said casually, circling around Stan to observe the child. "I mean, I did my best. Took bits and pieces from you and whatever was left of Stanford to try and summon him."

That explained why the blood that was originally smeared over the portal and Stanley was gone. Then Stanley registered Bill's words. Stan gaped. "You mean…"

"Yup! The baby's yours and Stanford's! Congratulations" Bill said happily. "Heyyy, raise the kid right and you could have another Stanford Pines."

"But, but-"

"Well, I guess you'll just have to finish the portal to get Stanford back!"

And with those last words, Bill Cipher disappeared.

-000-

"..And that was the last time I ever saw Bill Cipher." Stanley finished.

Several flashes of lightning illuminated the room once again. Mabel, Dipper, and Stanford's faces were brightly lit, the white light making their surprise even more vivid. Maybe another day their expressions would have been comical, but today, it was tragic. Mabel's eyes seemed to hold a thousand question in her stare. As for Dipper, well, he looked like he had once again been betrayed by his 'Grunkle Stan.'

Stanford, however, looked like he was getting angry.

Stanley coughed loudly, as if he was clearing his throat.

"Ah, well, let's continue the story, shall we?" He said and jumped right into another memory…

-000-

 _So, there I was, doing the best I could in an unfamiliar town and an unexpected baby. That was when the Woodstick Festival rolled into town…_

"If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the wails of the pirate baby as it looks for it's golden crib," Stan said, wiggling his fingers dramatically at his current tour group. They ate it up, and tittered, amused at the story.

Their laughter stopped, when a soft wail seemed to permeate the room.

Chuckling awkwardly, Stan tried to usher the group into the gift shop. "Heh, you know, haunted crib and all that."

A few of the tourists laughed nervously. Then they stopped as another wail, clearly a baby, rang through the room.

"IT'S THE PIRATE BABY!" One of them yelled, and they all screamed and made a mad rush for the door. In seconds, Stanley was left with an empty Mystery Shack, devoid of customers.

He sighed. Then went behind the six pack-a-lope to pick up the baby. Behind the attraction was a comfortable, safe, and warm place for the baby to rest while Stan was working. "Aww kid," he said, gently holding the now smiling baby. "I dunno whether you're helping business or not."

The baby smacked him on the nose.

"Ow!" Stan said in surprise, but then chuckled. "Heh. Let's close this place up, kiddo. We haven't been getting much business anyways." Making sure he had the baby well in hand, he turned the sign on the door to say 'CLOSED.'

However, that didn't stop someone from coming in a few hours later.

Stan had moved the 'golden crib' into the gift shop, so he could keep an eye on the baby while he cleaned up. The doorbell jingled.

He frowned. "Hey," Stan started. "Did you see the sign? We're closed-" and as he turned around, he was greeted with an unexpected sight.

It was Carla McCorkle, looking just as beautiful as the day she left him.

-000-

" _Awwww…." Mabel sighed dreamily. "You recognized her after all those years?"_

 _Dipper gave a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "You must have really liked her Grunkle Stan," the boy teased._

" _You two, shut your traps," Stan grumbled, but his cheeks were starting to pink._

" _Its nothing to be ashamed of, Grunkle Stan," Mabel said with a giant smile on her face._

 _Ford interjected, "It seems like an awfully strange coincidence that she was there."_

 _Mood ruined, Stan sighed and continued the story. "I'm getting to that part. As I was saying..."_

-000-

Although it had been over ten years, Stanley Pines could recognize Carla's sweet smile and her beautiful curves. Her hair was a bit shorter and she was older, but she still wore flowers in her hair. Unfortunately, she was also wearing bell bottoms.

Stanley silently cursed the hippy that made her start to wear those pants.

"I'm so sorry," Carla apologized, clearly flustered. "I didn't realize I was on private property before I started picking these windflowers," she gestured to her hair. "And I saw the sign, but- Stan?"

She had finally taken a good look at the man in front of her and had recognized him. Carla smiled brightly, "Why, Stanley Pines, it's been a long time."

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about Carla, I mean, Miss McCorkle, I mean-" Stan slapped a hand over his face to stop his babbling.

Carla giggled. "That's the Stan I remember," she said warmly. "How have you been?"

As luck would have it, the baby decided to let out a wail at that exact moment.

"Oh boy." Stan quickly went to pick up the child before it started to cry any louder. "There, there, no more crying kid," he said. surprisingly, the baby stopped and proceeded to stick his hand up Stan's nose

Carla stared at the sight of Stan taking care of the baby. But her surprise melted into warm affection for the boy she had once cared for. She followed Stan and ran a hand over the golden crib. "I guess he just wanted his Dad's attention," she said softly.

"Carla... He's, he's, well, it's complicated," Stan finished with a sigh. He was resigned to having this awkward conversation while the child was holding his nose.

"What about his mother?" Carla asked.

"There is no mother," Stan replied.

Instead of answering, Carla went to lay a comforting hand on Stan's arm, but the baby caught it first.

"Oh," her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away.

"Uh, sorry. He likes to grab onto things," Stan tried to gently pry the baby's hand off, but it seemed unlikely that he was going to let go.

"It's fine," she said.

They lapsed into silence, both staring at the tiny child in Stanley's arms.

"You know, he was, I wasn't expecting him," Stan said suddenly. He mentally punched himself. When he was with Carla, he felt like his old, weak, teenage self.. "Not that I don't care! It's just-"

"Stanley."

Stan shut his mouth.

"I can take care of him," Carla said firmly.

"What?"

"I'll take care of him," she said again.

He opened his mouth and the baby tried to stick a hand into his open mouth. "Gah!" Stan sputtered.

Carla tried not to laugh, but failed.

"Why don't you try holding him first," Stan said, after getting the baby's fist out of his mouth. He offered the kid for Carla to hold. She gingerly to him into her arms and the baby smiled.

Looking at Carla with a baby in her arms and flowers in her hair.. well, it was almost too much for Stan. However, he realized this was the right choice for his family.

"Stan, he looks just like you," Carla said softly, tenderly holding the baby.

Stan's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I guess he kinda does," he agreed, even though he thought the baby looked less like him and more like… He coughed, "So, I guess it'll be you and eh, What's-his-face."

"Oh, he isn't in the picture anymore," she said casually. " It'll just be me and.. what's the baby's name?"

Stan didn't reply.

"How about Junior then?" Carla suggested.

After a moment of hesitation, Stan nodded.

"Junior Pines, how does that name sound?" Carla said to the baby. Junior started sucking on his fist. "Well it's decided then."

"Uh, Pines?"

"Yup."

"Carla…"

"I'll take care of him for you, Stanley."

"Thanks, Carla."


	3. Genuine3

**Genuine3**

 **Part 1 of Grandfathers**

 **Chapter 3**

Not beta-read.

* * *

"Wait, does that mean Carla's our grandmother?" Mabel asked excitedly.

"Well, if you want to think of her like that, then yeah, she was," Stan replied. "She would have loved having a granddaughter like you."

Mabel squealed in delight.

"But Grunkle Stan, why was she there?" Dipper asked.

"I was just about to explain that. You see, although Carla really did believe in all that hippy nonsense that was going on at the time, what she really enjoyed was the music. She was in a band playing at the Woodstick Festival." Stan explained.

"So that's how Carla McCorkle happened to be there," Ford said thoughtfully. "Those hippies really did enjoy their music."

"I know, right?" Stan agreed. "She had been touring the whole US before stopping at Gravity Falls."

Dipper rolled his eyes at his great uncles. Their mutual grudge against hippies was strange. "What happened next?" He asked.

"Well, that's when I faked my death," Stan said nonchalantly. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed after his words.

"What? Why?" Dippers said, surprised.

"Meeting Carla and having someone recognize me... I decided it was probably best to close that chapter of my life," Stan explained. "It was the best choice really."

"Was it really, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked, sadly.

"It was a good thing. You see, Junior grew up loved by Carla and all her bandmates, but after a few years the band broke apart and she went back to New Jersey. It was a small enough town that your great-grandparents found out about Junior real quick," Stan explained.

"Yes, I can imagine that went over well with Mom and Dad," Ford said, dryly.

"Yeah, you can imagine what that was like. Anyways, they were getting older, so Carla took care of Junior. But bringing Junior back was probably one of the greatest things Carla could have done," he said.

"Why, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked.

"Junior was introduced to Shermy," Stan said.

"You kids don't know, but.. Shermy was the best outta of all of us," he continued. "He was stable, caring, and the number one thing he always had on mind was his family. Unfortunately, our family was already broken when he was growing up. He had a no-good older brother that was now dead," Stan started.

"And an older brother that never went home," Ford finished. "Not to mention parents that fought constantly," he added, bitterly.

The brothers shared a look. Ford shook his head slightly and Stan understood that this too, was another topic they would discuss when they weren't in front of the kids.

"Shermy loved Junior and took good care of him," Stan continued.

"Stanley, but how did you keep in touch with our family? Did you pretend to be me?" Ford said, accusingly.

What? No. Who do you think I am? Carla sent letters to the Mystery Shack," Stan huffed.

Mabel started to giggle again.

"Don't you start again," Stan said, gruffly.

Mabel tried to smother her laughing, but failed..

"As I was saying," Stan continued. "She sent the Shack letter, until…"

Dipper and Mabel shared a worried look.

"Until?" Ford prompted.

Stan stared into a candle, a scowl on his face. "It was twenty years ago…"

Sensing his Grunkle's trouble, Dipper picked up the story. "Dad told us about the fire… How Grandpa Shermy saved him, but they almost didn't make it."

"Yeah," Mabel continued. "And how we lost our great-grandparents."

Stan sighed. "It took out most of the neighborhood."

Mabel gasped, softly. "Wait, does that mean Carla…?"

"I never got another letter from her again," Stan said sadly.

The Pines fell silent, once again.

"Anyways, after the fire, the government threatened to take Junior away. Shermy stepped in, said that Junior was his kid," Stan continued.

"And they believed him?" Mabel asked.

Stan chuckled, "Heh, yeah. So, Shermy adopted Junior."

"And that's the story of how Sherman Pines is your grandfather. Shermy might not have been.. the reason why your dad was born, but believe me kids, Shermy raised your dad. He's the real deal," Stan concluded.

"Thanks for telling us, Grunkle Stan," Dipper said.

"Grandpa Shermy sounded amazing," Mabel added.

"He was. Believe me kids, he was the best," Stan said gently.

While Stan, Dipper, and Mabel basked in the thought of Sherman Pines, Stanford was less than satisfied with the story. There were parts that could have been expanded on and some events seemed too great to be a coincidence.

Suddenly, the lights flickered back on.

"Finally, the electricity's back!" Stan exclaimed.

"Ha, ha. Yeah, sorry about that Stan," Soos said with a chuckle.

"WAH!" The Pines' flinched at Soos' unexpected appearance.

"Soos! What are you doing here!" Stan exclaimed, clutching his chest.

"Were you here the whole time?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, I got your message about the electricity, but I couldn't do anything in the storm. So I sat in the dark, while you told your story," Soos explained.

"Oh, Soos, only you" Mabel said affectionately.

"Yeesh. Well, since the power's back, you kids can get to bed" Stan said, standing up.

Dipper, Mabel, and Soos let out sounds of disappointment.

"Nope. Dipper, Mabel, go to bed. Soos, if it's not raining too hard, then you should get back to your grandmother," Stan said firmly. The kids grumbled, but made their way out the living room door. He watched at the doorframe, before stepping back in.

Ford was gently blowing out the candles.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "So…"

"I can clean-up here Stan. You can go to sleep," Ford interrupted.

Stan opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it. "Thanks, Sixer," he said gruffly. Then he left the room, leaving Ford alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Surprise! Everyone's a grandfather!

As much as I think that the Grunkle4Grandpa theory makes the most sense, I always wondered why the kids didn't refute the fact that Shermy was their grandfather. But then I felt bad for Ford not being a part of the family, so now all the Pine boys are Dipper and Mabel's grandfather!

I hope you guys enjoyed my interpretation of this theory and look forward to more from this series. I'm going to take a break and plan out the next part. Plus I have another Gravity Falls fic that I want to publish before this one. Feel free to leave a comment!


End file.
